1 December 2017

GET CRACKING
Nuts
are popular nibbles that pack a nutritional punch with their protein,
fibre, unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and
phytochemicals. As a bonus, they are also rich in substances considered
protective for the heart: an amino acid (building block of protein)
called arginine; vitamin E, folate, copper (a mineral) and plant
sterols. Did you know studies show that:

Enjoying a handful of nuts 5–7 times a week can halve your risk of
developing heart disease. Even people who eat nuts once a week have less
heart disease than those who don’t eat any nuts. How come? It’s
possible the unique combination of healthy fats, fibre, antioxidants,
arginine and plant sterols all working together give nuts their heart
healthy benefits.

The arginine in nuts helps insulin work more effectively. It can
also improve the overall health of blood vessels, helping prevent
complications of diabetes.

What about peanuts and nut allergy? Processed peanuts are
quality-controlled for the presence of fungus that produces a toxin
called aflatoxin. Because peanuts in the shell are not screened, throw
away any mouldy ones. Peanut allergy is an increasingly common food
allergy especially in children. One-third of all peanut-allergic people
are also allergic to tree nuts such as brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts,
almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, pecans, pine nuts and cashews.

What about blood glucose?
Most nuts contain relatively little carbohydrate which is why they
either don’t have a GI or have a very low GI and will have negligible
impact on blood glucose. In fact, nuts can reduce the GI of starchy
foods eaten with them in a mixed meal. For example if you eat nut butter
on a slice of high GI fluffy white bread the overall GI of the sandwich
will be lower.

What about activated almonds? Dietitian
Nicole Senior explains: “Essentially, activated almonds are soaked
overnight, rinsed and slow roasted on a low heat for several hours.
Enthusiasts say this process deactivates enzyme inhibitors in the outer
layer making the almonds more digestible and their nutrients more
available. Looking at the science it becomes clear this is more a good
story to justify charging a lot more money for them. Enjoy them by all
means but I think I’ll stick to the regular lazy almonds.”

Are cakes made with almond meal better for you?
Nicole Senior says: “Making cakes with almond meal gives a delightful
moist texture and great flavour, and that’s a great reason to use it.
Using almond meal instead of flour also adds fibre and good fats, and
allows cakes to be gluten-free which is good news for those with celiac
disease. Make an almond meal cake even healthier by adding fruit (citrus
is divine) and using oil instead of butter.”

10 tasty ways to get more nuts into your day

Sprinkle nuts over wholegrain breakfast cereal or porridge

Toss cashews through a stir fry

Roast nuts and toss through a salad

Chop walnuts or Brazils and add to a dipping sauce

Crumble pecans into yoghurt and serve with fruit

Sprinkle chopped, roasted hazelnuts or almonds over low-fat ice cream

Top grilled fish with a nutty crumble

Add roasted pine nuts to pasta dishes

Blend pistachios or macadamias with fresh herbs, parmesan and a little olive oil for pesto